Novel bis(tetrahydroisoquinoline) N,N'-dioxides 1,2 belong to the group of compounds with axial chirality that act as a Lewis base. These properties make them useful chiral catalysts in reactions such as allylation, opening of epoxides, etc. that exhibit high enantioselectivity. The prepared chiral bis(tetrahydroisoquinoline) N,N'-dioxides (R,Rax,R)-1, (R,Sax,R)-1, (Rax,R)-2 a (Sax,R)-2 were tested as catalysts in enantioselective allylation of variously substituted α,β−unsaturated aldehydes and dienals with allyltrichlorosilane (Scheme 1). All the catalysts exhibited high catalytic activity as well as high asymmetric induction (up to 96% for α,β- unsaturated aldehydes;1 up to 98 % for dienals). Appropriate choice of solvent as a reaction medium3,4 and substitution in α-position in aldehydes were the crucial factors for the successful course of the reaction. The catalytic activity of (R,Rax,R)-1 and (R,Sax,R)-1 was also tested in asymmetric opening of meso-epoxides with tetrachlorosilane (ee up to 69 %) (Scheme 2). N N O O O O 1 N N O O O 2 Scheme 1 Scheme 2 1) Vlašaná, K.; Hrdina, R.; Valterová, I.; Kotora, M. Eur. J. Org. Chem. 2010, 7040. 2) Kadlčíková, A.; Hrdina, R.; Valterová, I.; Kotora, M. Adv. Synth. Catal. 2009, 351,1279. 3) Hrdina, R.; Opekar, F.; Roithová, J.; Kotora, M. Chem. Commun....

Zeolites have been widely used in many different fields including catalysis, adsorption and separation, ion exchange, or gas storage. Conventional zeolites have three- dimensional (3D) structures with microporous channel system; typical pore sizes are well below 1 nanometer, therefore, diffusion limitation plays important role in many process and bulkier reactants (or products) cannot enter (or leave) the zeolite channel system. Two-dimensional (2D) zeolites prepared in last years can lift all diffusion limitation and they thus offer a very attractive alternative to conventional 3D zeolites. 2D zeolites attracted considerable attention on the experimental side; however, understanding of 2D zeolites based on computational investigation or on a combination of experimental and computational investigation is limited. A motivation for the computational work presented here is to improve our understanding of properties of 2D zeolites based on computational investigation. The originality of the research presented herein is in the strategy: we carried out systematic investigation of properties of corresponding 2D and 3D zeolites and we focus on the identification of similarities and differences. The most important zeolite properties, i.e., presence of Brønsted and Lewis acid sites, are investigated. A number of...

Title: Chemical reactivity of metal-supported ceria thin films: a density func- tional study Author: Lucie Szabová Department: Department of Surface and Plasma Science Supervisor: Prof. RNDr. Vladimír Matolín, DrSc., Department of Surface and Plasma Science, FMF, CU Abstract: The present work is a theoretical analysis based on numerical DFT+U simulations investigating the physical and chemical properties of ultrathin ceria films supported by Cu(111). Such materials exhibit high activity towards several important reactions in heterogeneous catalysis such as water-gas shift and CO oxidation, with important applications also for renewable energy technologies such as fuel cells. We provide evidence of the influence of film thickness on the electronic and structural properties as well as on the reactivity of ultrathin ceria films supported by copper. The calculations combined with scanning tunneling microscopy experiments show that one monolayer thin film of ceria on Cu(111) is charged, strained and contains oxygen vacancies due to the limited thickness of the film. The influence of the film thickness on the reactivity of thin ceria films was explored for the case of water adsorption and dissociation. Significant differences were shown for water adsorption and dissociation on one-monolayer ceria compared to thicker films,...

In the diploma thesis, a method for preparation of the unsaturated C15-C20 tiacumicin fragment was developed. Tiacumicin is classified as a macrolidone antibiotic. Although three syntheses of tiacumicin have been recently published, this study has aimed to develop a novel pathway for its preparation utilizing catalytic reactions instead of stoichiometric ones. In the second part, an enantioselective allylation of (E)-3-jod-2-methylpropenal has been developed applying catalysis by a series of N,N'-dioxide catalysts. The asymmetric induction achieved in the allylation was up to 99% ee. This procedure allows relatively simple, straightforward and efficient preparation of wide range of natural products. Keywords tiacumicin, asymmetric synthesis, allylation, catalysis, chiral Lewis bases, organocatalysis

Concentration of Ce3+ is one of the most important parameters that influence the reactivity of ceria based catalyst. In this work we examine different experimental approaches for controlling Ce3+ concentration in cerium oxide model catalyst systems such as: i) influencing the stoichiometry of ceria, ii) introducing high valence doping agent, and iii) growing ultra thin ceria films with a strong metal substrate interaction. Structure, morphology and chemical state of prepared reduced ceria based systems were examined by means of surface science techniques: scanning tunneling microscopy, low-energy electron diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. In the present work an original method of ceria film reduction was introduced that allows stepwise control on stoichiometry and degree of film reduction (i). Further we introduce preparation procedures for well-ordered tungsten doped ceria model system (ii) and for the high quality 2D ultrathin ceria system on Cu (1 1 1) (iii). Preparation methods and model systems introduced in this work incorporate different physicochemical principles of Ce3+ induction and provide a variety of model systems useful for examining different effects that diversely prepared Ce3+ ions have on the activity of the catalyst.

This work can be divided into two parts. In the first part, we examine possibilities of preparation of monocrystalline tungsten and tungsten oxide nanoclusters by means of magnetron sputtering with gas aggregation. Clusters are prepared in the non-reactive (Ar) and reactive (Ar + O2) atmosphere and heated after the deposition or during the flight by IR radiation. Influence of oxygen in the aggre- gation process was described and possibilities of generating crystalline tungsten and tungsten oxide clusters were found. In the second part, we study reactivity of tungsten oxide layers, pure and doped with rare metals (Pt, Au), deposited on the silicon wafer and etched carbon, towards partial methanol oxidation. Influence of carbon substrate and metal doppants on reactivity was found and described, along with mofrological and chemical changes that occurs in the sample during the proces. 1

Charles University Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové Department of Biophysics and Physical Chemistry Consultant: PharmDr. Jan Marek, Ph.D. Supervisor: doc. PharmDr. Veronika Nováková, Ph.D. Student: Kateřina Pekařová Title of Thesis: Cationic surface active compounds and evaluation of its properties Quaternary ammonium salts are used as surfactants in many branches of the food, pharmaceutical and chemical industries. The basic properties of these substances were studied in the thesis. The critical micellar concentration of the homologous series of five substances was determined using the conductometric method. The theory of declining critical micellar concentration with the increasing length of the side alkyl chain has been verified. The hydrolytic activity of two commonly used cationic surfactants benzalconium chloride and benzoxonium chloride for the decomposition of the organophosphorus pesticide fenitrothion was tested. For these two substances, the effect of pH and temperature changes was evaluated. The influence of tenside concentration was also monitored. Benzoxonium chloride at 50 řC and pH 11was found as the most effective hydrolytic catalyst for the decomposition of the organophosphorus pesticide fenitrothione.

Gold catalysis has recently experienced a sustained upswing in interest from scientific community. The amount of new reactions catalysed by gold is so significant that little is known about mechanisms of most of these reactions. Research into mechanisms of (not only) gold catalysed reactions is therefore very significant area of interest and important to the continued improvement of gold catalysed reactions. Formation of cationic π-complexes is considered a first mechanistic step in reactions catalysed by gold(I). The bond dissociation energies of gas phase cationic π-complexes were investigated by mass spectrometry and theory calculations in this thesis. These complexes consisted of differently substituted unsaturated hydrocarbons (alkenes, alkynes, alkadienes and allenes) and complex cations of silver and gold containing second ligand (triphenylphosphine, acetonitrile). On the basis of the results obtained from this study, a possible origin of the "silver effect" in gold(I) catalysis is discussed. Key words catalysis, gold, silver, mass spectrometry, DFT calculations, reaction intermediates

The aim of this thesis was to elaborate the issue of the decomposition of volatile organic compounds in the Gliding Arc plasma discharge at atmospheric pressure. Technologies based on nonthermal plasma could offer a good alternative to conventional techniques for the decomposition of volatile organic compounds, such as thermal and catalytic oxidation. Gliding Arc discharge (GidArc) is a widely exploited nonthermal plasma source used for many industrial applications, such as air-pollution control. The energy efficiency, reaction selectivity or production of specific species may be achieved in this kind of plasma, and thus for various chemical processes it can be much more effective then in conventional techniques. Presented experiments are linked to the previous results published in diploma thesis, which gave us the basics for construction of new reactor and optical emission spectroscopy measurements have been done to characterize the plasma. Toluene (aromatic, unsaturated), cyclohexane (aromatic, saturated) and hexane (aliphatic, saturated) were used as the model compounds for these experiments in the concentration range from hundreds to thousands ppm. Results focused on the electrical parameters of the reactor were carried out, with the aim to operate the system at a lower energy cost. In order to get the time-resolved diagnostics of the moving plasma channel, the evolution of the plasma channel was recorded continuously by using a high-speed video camera. In next part of the work, some results concerning generation of low molecular products like nitric oxide, nitrogen dioxide, hydrogen and carbon monoxide on the discharge conditions are presented. In combustion process, undesirable mixture of toxic highmolecular by-products can be formed. Samples were therefore analysed in gas chromatograph linked to mass spectrometer, to characterize the chemical transformation pathway of VOC in plasma.

This Thesis describes the synthesis, reactivity, coordination properties, and catalytic activity of novel electronically dissymmetric bisphosphines structurally related to 1,1'-bis(diphenylphosphino)ferrocene (dppf). First, a methylene spaced congener containing a primary phosphine group, which is stable in the air, Ph2PfcCH2PH2 (fc = ferrocene-1,1'-diyl), was prepared. While studying its reactivity, an unprecedented stable primary phosphine oxide, Ph2PfcCH2P(O)H2, was isolated. The primary phosphine, the corresponding phosphine oxide, dppf and the known bis-tertiary phosphine Ph2PfcCH2PPh2 were studied as ligands in Ru(II) complexes. The catalytic activity of the defined complexes was compared in two ruthenium-catalyzed reactions: cyclization of (Z)-3-methylpent-2-en-4-yn-1-ol into 2,3-dimethylfuran and isomerization of estragole to anethole. Second, the remarkable stability of the prepared primary phosphine oxide called for a detailed investigation of this poorly described class of compounds. As a result, stable primary phosphine chalcogenides lacking steric protection FcCH2P(Y)H2 (Fc = ferrocenyl; Y = O, S, Se) were isolated for the first time. These compounds were studied as ligands in reactions with hard and soft Lewis acids (Zn(II) and Ru(II)), and the reactivity of the P-H hydrogens was...